A Minute With: Aaron Paul on 'Hellion,' life after 'Breaking Bad'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For actor Aaron Paul, life after "Breaking Bad" has brought him more of the dark, broken characters that he became known for playing, most notably as the meth-dealing Jesse Pinkman on the gritty AMC drug drama.

Paul, 34, won two Emmy awards for playing drug-addled teen Jesse, a role that earned him a cult fan base.

In "Hellion," Paul plays Hollis, an alcoholic single father who struggles to connect with his two young sons, causing his eldest, 13-year-old Jacob, to rebel while his youngest is taken away by child welfare services.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and will be out in U.S. theaters on Friday.

Paul spoke to Reuters about playing a father, working with children and directing.

Q: Hollis feels like a step away from your role as Jesse Pinkman on "Breaking Bad" - what drew you to him?

A: I was just instantly connected to the story and these characters and especially connected to Hollis. I loved Hollis, and his pain was living, breathing on every single level and he's not realizing that he's doing something very wrong. He's kind of abandoned his boys, that's why Jacob is rebelling. He lost his mother but he kind of lost his father as well. Both the kids are in desperate need of some sort of guidance.

Q: You work extensively in the film with the two young actors that play your sons: Josh Wiggins and Deke Garner. How did you develop your relationship with them?
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